Comments about ‘Ex-missionary sentenced’

Where was his counsel? Did he have to provide it? Im sorry things LIKE this happen in the world today. Members/Missionaries certainly know accountablity out weighs any dollar amount aquired on this earth. To bad entire policices have to be changed, just to protect ourselves now from those who values differ.

This didn't even make the Vegas papers. DMN is going way out of its way to show it is "unbiased".

Will someone please explain to me why when someone does something wrong, that whatever church, school or whatever is also considered at fault. I understand it if an organization knowingly is negligent of adhering to prudent standards of safety, but it seems that nowdays, the whole issue is deep pockets.

As a convert, I find myself more disappointed when things like this happen within the church ~ which has a STRICT personal accountability outlook. Where is this YM's counsel through church services, disciplinary accountability or even ex-communication? I do believe in repentence, but I also believe in accountability. As a memeber of our church this YM KNOWS the significance of this sort of sin and I would think takes that VERY seriously. As I said, this sort of thing within the church carries even more impact for me than without.

Why was this young man babysitting these little girls during services? If he is related I could see the mothers asking him to watch their children, but no male unless they are their own children should be the lone babysitter during any service. It has always been my experience that a nursery of any type should have no less than two women and one man. If he was a missionary at the time where was his companion? This doesn't make any sense. What is the whole story.

it doesn't even sound like this guy was ever really in court in the first place. It said it was settled out of court with the church. So first of all... how gross that you'd be put into a plea bargain without being able to have your day in court, which it sounds like he wanted if he's still insisting he didn't do it. Something is missing here.(And frankly, I do question the girls honesty when they accused an uncle and those charges were dropped... it's one thing for several different children to accuse the same adult, but quite another for the same girls to accuse multiple adults.) Second, it was a plea bargain with church, not him, so why is the judge revoking? Too much info missing, it makes no sense.

This appears to be just another case of presumtion of guilt without the chance to prove innocence. Someone perlier pointed out the deep pocket theory. I believe such complaints will continue as long as people can see the chance to dip into those deep pockets. I have more faith in the formr missionary's statement - not because he is an RM - than I do in the girls, their mother, or the court system.

I know the former missionary and his parents and family. They are fine, respectable, upstanding and outstanding individuals. This entire episode seems like a political and judicial nightmare.

Now, missionaries, in our area at least, cannot even hold a baby or get near a child. How sad.

Question: Why was the Church so quick to pay off. The Church is not a pushover. The Church does not just hand out money. They are tough as nail in a courtroom and they usually win. Why not here? Something is wrong???????? 65,000 missionaries in the field. YOu don't think there are some sour apples in the field out of that many. Of course there is. You can't avoid it.

I don't think the parents of the girl were out for money if so then why not go to court? I saw where a man sued the church for abuse from a homeschool teacher and he got 3 millon. I think that these parents wanted justice. the church most likly set up a fund on their own.
I don't understand why he was watching the girls anyway but I bet these parents thought their children would be safe in church. If you can't be safe in your own church you have problems. Also I bet this guys been in trouble with this before. Of course your not going to see this in LDS newspapers. Church needs to look unto their members background if they are around children wouldn't you think after so many law suits.

I don't know about the Review Journal, but I did see this story on one of the local Vegas news boadcasts yesterday, so this story is definitely on the radar down here.

I don't understand how this mother thought the church needed to pay for this incident. As a member of the church I know that if my son or daughter was assaulted I wouldn't ask the church to pay for it. How is money going to make that situation better.

I can understand if she thinks that by suing they will make sure that men aren't left to watch children in church but I think if a missionary was arrested and the media kept making sure to mention that they were missionaries (which I am not opposed to), then the church would be cautious anyway. The money is not going to help the girls recover from the abuse, nor is it going to help others not be assaulted either. It SEEMS like the only motive would be greed, although I obviously don't know the whole situation.

I just can't understand why someone would sue their church, and then presumably pay tithing to it? I would rather have the money that I pay for tithing go to helping others instead of my kids getting absurd amounts of money that won't help the abuse they encountered.

to abide by the terms of the plea deal. This is a case that has been in the Vegas papers quite a bit, including yesterday. When it first happened I was not sure of the missionary was guilty. For whatever reason (guilt, fear of conviction, etc.) he pled guilty to a lesser charge.

The terms of the deal the missionary pled to required certain things that he failed to do. Facing years in prison, I certainly would have followed the terms of the deal. His lack of judgment leads me to think he may have been guilty.

At any event, it has been followed quite a bit here in Vegas. I have had several conversation with other members about this sad case. There is a reason why companions should never be left alone with young children.

This young man could not complete counseling because in counseling you must admit what you did. If the man was innocent then he would be lying to say that he did.

However, counseling doesn't care if you are innocent because you have been convicted, therefore, the young man was in a no win situation.

Whether or not he did was he was convicted of is neither here nor there now. He will have to learn to play the game or he will spend the whole time in prison, and even faces the possibility of being held after just because he won't admit his offense.

The Elder could certainly bounce back better than a girl who was abused by someone in church authority.
Let's hear all the sympathizers be concerned about the child- not the adult who should have known better.

Why has no one thought to have the missionary and the accusers take lie detector tests? Accusers do sometimes lie, just ask the Duke lacross team. The accused also do sometimes lie. How can the judge in this case claim that they don't? Let science, not emotion decide this case.

So many unanswered questions in this situation. Where was this missionaries companion??? They are NEVER supposed to be apart, as a protection and a witness. Why was he assigned to babysit children at church? Shouldn't they be in Nursery/Primary? The church has VERY STRICT policies that a man is to never be alone with children in church meetings and assignments. There is a lot that just doesn't sound right at all.

Just wondering where this young man's companion was during the alleged incident(s). This is one example of the absolute necessity of our missionaries to always be with his or her companion. We know from first hand experience that it is VERY possible to be accused of doing something that you have not done, particularly of this nature, and not have any way to prove it was not done. If you do go to court you have to prove that you are innocent, which is backwards but it's reality, and if you take a plea bargain you have to admit guilt of some kind. You're damned if you do or don't. Disciplinary counsels are private and confidential.

Sex offender counseling is very hard to go to if you haven't committed the offense in the first place. Like you, I don't know if the Elder is guilty or not, but if he isn't, the counselor doesn't care and does his best to make him admit guilt. Also, counseling is very expensive and insurance does not pay for it. We have to pay $100 per week for my husband to go to counseling for an offense he did not commit but couldn't prove, and he will have to do this for about 3 years. In addition to spending 6 months in jail for nothing, his sentence also includes 5 years of probation and "successfully completing" sex offender counseling. The "successful" part it completely determined by the counselor, in whose hands you life is placed for this period of time. If he did the offense, then certainly he should be accountable and the girl(s) should receive some help. But we shouldn't be too quick to judge. If he isn't guilty he needs to be released and given his life back, as much as possible, and the girls need counseling for a different reason. Best of luck to all.

I remember one time on my mission where my companion was given a baby to hold by some members (who later found themselves in all kinds of trouble, tragic story to say the least) But i remember being asked if i wanted to hold the newborn, and i totally declined and my companion thought i was the rudest person in the world. I didn't trust anybody on my mission. Not even my companions sometimes.